Steering means



1935. I F. SUSTERSIC I ,0

STEERING MEANS Filed April 18, 1955 IN VENTOR FEED/Nfl/VD 303715 251:

A TTORNE X5 Patented Dec. 3, 1935 UNITED TATS PATENT OFFIQE STEERINGMEANS Ferdinand Sustersic, Slezska Ostrava, Czechoslovakia 4 Claims.

This invention relates to steering means and refers more particularly tomeans for steering thetraction wheels of an automobile or other vehiclein conformity with the steering of the 5 front wheels.

In automobiles now in use the steering is confined to the front wheels,so that a change in the direction of travel of the car is caused. onlyby the movements of the front wheels thereof.

When passing along a curve, the traction wheels donot follow themovement of the front or steering wheels but travel along an are havinga smaller diameter than that described by the front wheels. This limitsthe steering facilities of a motor car and makes it impossible toconstruct long and narrow cars, since the distance between the steeringwheel axle and the traction wheel axle can not be increasedabove acertain predetermined length.

.Anobject of the present invention is the provision of a simple andautomatically operable steering device by means of which the tractionwheels of a vehicle are caused to follow the front wheels in everyposition thereof.

The above and other objects of this invention may be realized throughthe provision of a steering device comprising a trailing roller or othersuitable means swinging in conformity with the steering movements of thefront wheels of a vehicle and means transforming this swinging motioninto a reciprocatory movement of a steering rod used for steering thetraction wheels of the vehicle. The invention will appear more clearlyfrom the following detailed description when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawing showing a preferred embodiment of the inventiveidea.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the adjustment of the traction wheels inconformity with the position of the front wheels.

Figure 2 shows the steering device while the vehicle is moving along astraight line.

Figure 3 shows the same device while the ve- 45 hicle is moving along acurve.

Figure 4 shows the trailing roller in side elevation and on a largerscale.

Figure 5 shows on a still larger scale the device connecting thetrailing roller with the steering 50 rod.

The vehicle shown in the drawing comprises a frame In, a pair of frontor steering wheels II and I2, and a pair of traction wheels i 3 and M.The front wheels H and I2 are steered by the 5 usual steering wheel I5,mounted upon a steering rod it which is connected at its other end withthe steering mechanism ll transmitting by means of links l8, I9, 2c, 2!,and 22, the rotary movement of the steering wheel 85 to the axles 23 and24 which carry the wheels II and I2, re- 5 spectively.

The device for steering the rear wheels comprises a trailing roller 25which is in contact with the ground and which is rotatably mounted upona shaft 26 carried by a U-shaped frame 2?. The 10 frame 21 is connectedby means of a pivot 28 with a rod 29.

As shown more clearly in Figure 5 of the drawing, one end of the rod 29is firmly connected with an angle piece 3h. The piece 36 comprises asleeve 3! which surrounds one end of the rod 2 3 and is rigidlyconnected therewith, and also comprises another sleeve .52 which issituated at right angles to the sleeve iii. The sleeve 32 surrounds andis rigidly connected with a rod 33 2 extending between two ends 34 and35 of a bifurcated lever 36. The opposite end 31 of the lever 3% has theshape of a sleeve and is rotatably mounted upon a shaft 38. The anglepiece 30 is rotatably mounted upon a pivot 48 which is car,- 25 ried bythe projections 5| of a casing 52 carried by the frame H3 (Fig. i). Asteering rod 39 is rigidly connected with a U-shaped piece 46 whichembraces the lever 33 and is connected with this lever by means of apivot 4i. 30

As shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing, the steering rod 39 isconnected by means of links 42, 43, t4, and $5, with the axles 46 and 41of the traction wheels 13 and M, respectively.

The device operates as follows: 35

When the vehicle is running along a straight line the various elementsof the device occupy the position shown in Figure 2 of the drawing. Whenthe driver desires toturn the vehicle to the left (looking in thedirection of Figures 1, 2, and 3) he turns the steering wheel i5 in theusual manner, thus causing a movement of the links I8, l9, 2%, 2i, and22, with the result that the front wheels I! and 12 will move from theposition shown by broken lines in Figure 3 to the 45 position by fulllines in the same figure.

After the front wheels II and I2 have swung to the desired extent, theroller 25 which trails along the ground will also follow this turningmovement and will swing to the right (looking in the direction ofFigures 2 and 3), from the position shown in Figure 2 to the positionshown in Figure 3.

Since the angle piece 30 is connected to the roller 25 by means of therod 29, the piece 30 will swing around its pivot 48 so that the rod 33will be moved in the direction of the arrow 49.

Since the rod 33 is situated between the ends 34 and 35 of the lever 36,this lever will swing around its shaft 38 and will consequently move thesteering rod 39 in the direction of the arrow 50, shown in Figure 3. Therod 39 will move the links 42, 43, 44, and 45, thus swinging the axles 46 and 4'! of the traction wheels l3 and M.

Due to this arrangement the traction wheels [3 and M will follow exactlythe same curve as the front wheels H and I2, as shown diagrammaticallyin Figure 1 of the drawing. 7

An important advantage of the described device is the possibility ofincreasing the distance between the wheel axles when constructing motorvehicles, since the direction'of the front wheels will always correspondto the direction of the traction Wheels.

Another advantage is the elimination of skidding since as soon as therear portion of the vehicle begins to skid, the traction wheels will beset automatically by the roller 25 at such an angle, that any furtherskidding will be pre- Vented.

Finally, due to the fact that the traction wheels follow the frontwheels, the steering angle of the front wheels may be made smaller andthus the entire steering of the front wheels may be made more sensitiveand accurate.

What is claimed is:

1. A steering device for the rear wheels of a vehicle, comprising meansswinging in conformity with the steering movements of the front wheelsof a vehicle, a steering rod, links connecting said steering rod withthe axles of the rear 'wheels of the vehicle, and means connecting thefirst-mentioned means with said steering rod and transforming theswinging motion of the firstmentioned means into a reciprocatory motionof said steering rod.

2. A steering device for the rear wheels of a vehicle, comprising incombination with a vehicle frame, a trailing roller, means connectingsaid roller withsaid frame, said roller being adapted to swing inconformity with the steering move- 5 ments of the front wheels of thevehicle, a steering rod, links connecting said steering rod with therear wheels of the vehicle, and-means connected with said steering rodand the first-mentioned means for transforming the swinging 1 0 movementof said roller into a reciprocatory motion of said steering rod.

3. A steering device for the rear wheels of a vehicle, comprising atrailing roller, a frame rotatably supporting said trailing roller, arod 15 connected with said frame, said roller, frame and rod beingadapted to swing in conformity with the steering movements of the frontwheels of a vehicle, a rod movable along with the first-mentioned rod, alever in contact with the secondmentioned rod and oscillatable by'themovements of the latter, a steering rod connected with said lever andmovable thereby, and a plurality of links connecting said steering rodwith the rear wheels of a vehicle. 4. A steering device for the rearwheels of a vehicle, comprising a trailing roller, a shaft carrying saidroller, a frame connected with said shaft, a rod connected with saidframe, an angle piececonnected with said rod, a pivot, said angle piecebeing mounted upon said pivot, another rod connected with said anglepiece, a lever having one end adapted to come in contact with thesecond-mentioned rod, the second-mentioned rod being adapted to swingsaid lever, a steering rod, means connecting said steering rod with saidlever, and links connecting said steering rod with the rear wheels of avehicle.

FERDINAND SUS'I'ERSIC. 4o

